Without This, Nothing Works
I want to tell you about two of my clients—Julia and Janet.
Julia showed up to our call this week visibly frustrated.
“I’m doing everything right, John,” she said. “I’m training hard, tracking my food, trying to stay patient… but I’m not seeing results. What gives?!”
Then there’s Janet, who told me this:
“My scale says my body fat’s down. I just hit a personal record for pull-ups. Crushed 3 plates on the leg press—got a compliment from someone at the gym who said they’d never seen a woman do that. Oh, and I’ve been traveling like crazy for work and still managed to keep up with all of it.”
Now—are you sitting down? Not sipping anything you might spit across the room?
Because here’s the kicker:
Julia and Janet are the SAME person. And she said both of those things on the same call!
And Julia/Janet is one of the smartest, most consistent clients I’ve ever worked with. She’s been in the fitness game for decades.
So what was missing?
👉 A clear definition of success.
And without one, she’ll never be happy with her progress.
What Are We Actually Aiming At?
This wasn’t Julia/Janet’s failure. I had failed as her coach. As she talked, I knew exactly what was missing: clarity.
One of the most valuable things I do as a coach isn’t designing workouts or writing macros. It’s helping people make sense of the chaos in their heads.
Because here’s what “goal-setting” often sounds like in real life:
“I want to lose weight—but also gain muscle. I used to do Keto and that worked great for like three months. My job’s insane right now, and I’m traveling to the Bahamas soon so I want to look shredded, but also I might go Vegan? I’m not sure if I’m eating enough protein. I want to improve my heart health—my dad had issues—and my knees hurt from high school basketball. Oh, and I love tequila. So yeah. Not sure where to start.”
Eventually, it becomes one clear sentence we both agree on:
“So your ideal outcome over the next 12 weeks is to lose 15 pounds, feel stronger without your knees aching, and have more energy to keep up with your kids?”
Now we have a direction. Now we’re aligned, and we’re off to the races!
Because people don’t need more information. They’ve got Google, YouTube, podcasts, and now AI feeding them infinite fitness content—and somehow, they’re more confused than ever.
What they need is clarity. That’s the golden ticket, Charlie!
And with that in place, results show up faster, feel better, and actually stick.
What Do You Want And Why?
It reminds me of a quote I saw in Jay Yang’s newsletter the other day -
“You could have a very interesting life if you took just these two questions incredibly seriously, and kept re-asking them again and again and again.
What do I want and why
How do I become a more perfect instrument for #1”
- Patrick O’Shaughnessy
That’s the whole game, right there. Especially in fitness. If you don’t have a coach to help you flesh out these questions, hire me. Come on, why not? But if you tell me “get lost, John!” - nothing I haven’t heard before - I’d still strongly urge you to start here before chasing any fitness goal.
Start with those two questions. Sit with them. Revisit them. Answer them fully. Because if you can do that? Your odds of success go way up.
If you don’t—if you go in half-baked and vague, like most people—you risk three things:
Working hard in the wrong direction.
Mistaking motion for progress.
Missing the win even when it happens.
Talk about a recipe for burnout and frustration.
Your New Success Formula: Define → Track → Celebrate
Here’s what actually works for busy, hard-working people:
1. Define what success looks and feels like.
Not just, “I want to be healthier.” Spell it out like you’re handing someone a playbook to live your ideal outcome.
“Lose 20 pounds by March, squat 225 without knee pain, and feel like I’ve got gas in the tank after work.”
That’s useful, because when motivation dips or doubt creeps in, you’ve got a clear reference point.
2. Track progress with consistency—not emotion!
Feelings are a terrible scoreboard.
Data isn’t everything, but it gives you a stable reference point when your brain gets dramatic. Pick metrics that, if you hit them, it’ll be basically impossible not to move toward your goal.
Weight. Strength. Step counts. Compliance. Pain levels. Sleep. Whatever actually moves the needle.
3. Celebrate the dang wins.
My client Eric texted me last night—he benched 225 for the first time ever!
That’s a huge freakin’ deal, and something he’s been chasing for nearly a year. What a waste it’d be to hit that and just move on. You’ve gotta celebrate that stuff. Put on a song. Do a little dance. Rewatch the lift on video 12 times. Send it to your group chat. Take yourself out to dinner. Whatever it is—mark the moment.
If you never let yourself feel the win, you’ll never trust the process that got you there. And if you don’t trust the process, you’ll quit, ten times out of ten!
LAST DAY For Black Friday Sale
If you're ready to define your win and actually chase it the smart way—now’s the time.
This is your last chance to lock in $100/month off full coaching before the Black Friday deal disappears.
Since launch, 4 people have already jumped in. They’ll get expert training, real accountability, and a smarter strategy—and save hundreds of dollars along the way.
Most people wait until January. The savvy ones get ahead of the chaos—and start now.
If you're ready to define your win and actually chase it the smart way, this is it.
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You don’t need another app, another plan, or another “I’ll start Monday.” You need a real system. With real support. That actually works. I've got it—and if you jump in now, you’ll save some serious cash in the process.
People just like you are using this coaching to feel better, look better, and live better. Why not you?
Best,
John
P.S. Few things beat a cozy Christmas tree, a high-scoring Big Ten shootout, and a dinner out—especially on the weekend before a two-day work week. Life is good!
3 Steps You Can Take
Apply for coaching - If you’re ready to start, you can fill out a coaching application here (it takes 90 seconds or less). Best case, you change your life. Worst case, I’ll help you draw up a road map to get closer to your goals.
Sign up for my newsletter - If you’d like to hear more, sign up for my mailing list here.
Keep learning - You can check out my other articles here. Nobody asked me to, but I’ve spent a ton of time researching everything from artificial sweeteners to saturated fat to testosterone and more, so you don’t have to.
